HIRING FAMILY

HIRING FAMILY
Ethics law guidelines
Ethics law in Ohio includes criminal prohibitions against any public official or employee's hiring a family member.
The law prohibits any person elected to, appointed to, or employed by a public entity from hiring a family member and from using his public position to secure the hire of a family member.
The nepotism prohibition is not a "no-relatives" standard, explains David Freel, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, "but it does prohibit a public servant from using or abusing his public position to get public jobs for family members. The purpose of the law is not to prevent families from working together, but to prevent the possibility that a public servant may show favoritism toward his family in the exercise of his discretionary authority on behalf of the public to hire qualified public employees. Ohio has had some examples of serious problems for the public that have arisen where family members have been improperly hired."
The Ohio Ethics Commission is an independent agency of state government charged with interpreting and administering the Ohio Ethics Law for many state and local public officials and employees.
The Ohio Ethics Law and related statutes are found in the Ohio Revised Code. These laws generally prohibit public officials and employees from misusing their official positions for their own personal benefit or the benefit of their family members or business associates.
An official is prohibited from hiring a family member in any employment position, including a full-time, part-time, temporary or permanent position, a position in the classified or unclassified civil service, or a position that's not under civil service.
Source: Ohio Ethics Commission